Fallout: The Cross
by falloutjournalist23
Summary: Exiled from the only place he could call home, Casey Miles must survive in the Midwestern Wastes and prove that you can survive in the outside world.


These are the travels of Casey Miles. The story of:

Fallout:

Breaking Tides

0_ _0

"Hey Casey, what's up?" Barney Clemons, Best friend a guy could ever hope for in vault 23.

"Not much Barns, what's up with you?"

"Your sister," I mean, if he wasn't such an ass all the time. Barney sat down next to me at our regular lunch room table.

"Man, come on. She's twelve."

"Aw, I'm just kidding with you. A.S.S.E.T. is in two days, its gonna be fun."

"I don't know. I never really liked the idea of having one job and one job only for the rest of my life in this dump." Shit, I totally spaced on the dumb test. A.S.S.E.T., the ASsignment Sector Employment Test decides without a doubt what our job will be in the vault in the future.

"You know those things are never right, right?" yeah, but does the Conglomerate know that?

"Yeah, sure, I'm not hungry. See you later."

"Whatever Tracy, see you." Damn, where did he hear that. Tracy has been Veronica's nickname for me ever since I tried to draw Victory, the Armored Vanguard from that comic book. Makes me wonder what else that goon has up his sleeve.

I turned down the main hallway from the cafeteria to the atrium. The Intercom system had the blabbing drag of The Conglomerate mid-session. So nothing good there, my Pipboy did have an Auto-scan radio feature that I never tried. Why would I? I already have the Two Vault intercom frequencies quick-listed in the radio section.

Simple answer, I would stay out of trouble.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" Who was this? Crap, if I had bought that stupid transmitter attachment I could have talked to her. Forget that, she didn't sound like anyone in the vault, let alone anyone I've ever heard before. The transmission was cut off a lot by surges of static. It wasn't uniform enough for the vault walls to do it. It was more like someone was interfering with the signal.

"This is Cobalt...where…everyone has left. Can…Vic got hit and he's bleedin' badly. If anyone can hear…vault still shut? Its his only…"

Then the frequency cut out all together. Static resumed its dominance over the idle radio waves.

"Hell yeah!" I ducked into my family's quarters and locked the door. Dad would be overjoyed; he hates this hole as much as I do.

Oh crap, guess who didn't record the message as proof to show his now not-gonna-be-so-overjoyed father. "Shit, no no no no."

Worse, there was my little sister, watching me swear like Guard Dossard on late shift day.

"You didn't hear me say that stuff, OK?"

"What stuff?" Good girl she is.

I fled to my room and found the channel of the transmission, nothing. Dang, The Conglomerate won't believe me without that recording. Not even my dad will.

Speaking of him, he walks through the door right before I turn my Pipboy feed off.

"That didn't sound like the intercom system. What are you up to?" Well, here goes.

"Dad, There was a radio message from outside the vault! Can you believe this…?" The second I said 'outside' his face turned pale like he saw a ghost.

"Impossible, any message, even if there was some sort of message from the outside, would never reach the vault; we are surrounded by lead, cement, and steel. There is no way."

"But it did! I swear to the Overseer that I'm telling the truth." Brown-nosing activate!

"Knock off that rot. Overseer is a title, nothing more. The Conglomerate is in full control of all official action in the Vault 23. The Overseer spot is just a symbol for the pissed-offedness of the people in the vault to assault if something goes wrong. I have almost no say in what goes on in here." Brown-nosing failed, shoot.

"Come on Dad, you gotta believe me!"

"Never said I didn't believe you, just said no one would believe me." What does he mean by that?

"Tell him Veronica! You believe me!"

"You have been listening to that dumb static for too long, why don't you go hang out with Barney or something?" Someone is getting one hell of a swirly later. Disregard what I said before, bad girl.

"Whatever, I heard what I heard. I'm going to go study for ASSET." Which really meant, 'I'm going to search the radio waves for that darn recording.'

* * *

I'm so totally screwed.

When I actually decided to check out what I do in my free time that might affect my ASSET, I headed straight to stinking maintenance. The stupid toilet-unclogging washing-  
the-halls gum-scrapers that freak the shit out of me.

When Dad locks us out of our quarters by mistake, I pick the lock. When Barney forgets his password, I hack into his computer for him. Not to mention all the book-keeping that I do at the vault library every other day.

So. Totally. Screwed.

And I didn't even find that retarded message either. Ever since dad left for work this morning, the vault radio stations were down for maintenance by order of the 'All Powerful Conglomerate'. I still can't believe that Dad thinks that overseer has nothing to do with the on goings around here. He is the one with the code to unseal the vault door.

The Vault Door! "If I can get that code, I can skip the Conglomerate altogether, I can get those people from outside to help me convince them to open the door!"

"One Problem." Jesus! When did she get in my room!

"How in the world did you get in here?!"

"You're not the only one in the family that has to know how to pick a lock." Sneaky little bugger. "So, these voices aren't just ashes and echoes?"

"No, but you don't believe me do you."

"Oh, I believe you." Wait what?

"Then why did you say..."

"Because you had no proof, without the recording, you have nothing. The Conglomerate would never trust the vault's future to what could have been an overactive imagination." Gosh, when did she get so smart?

"Then how do I convince Dad to give me the code?"

"Who said anything about asking?"

"You're Crazy."

"You're the one with voices in your head." Oh, little girl has a smart mouth, huh?

"I'll give you a once over I swear, once I find something metal I'm gonna smack you one!"

"Here, how's this for metal?" As if on cue, pulls out a screwdriver from her back pocket and tosses it to me and starts to walk away.

"Hey, this is mine! How did you..."

"Who said anything about asking." Sneaky. Little. Bugger.

* * *

Today's the day. ASSET, and then I have to think of a way to sneak into Dad's office without him noticing.

But first, the ASSET is going to be a big drama today, at least for some people who don't know that the vault might be opening very soon. If I have anything to do about it.

"OK class, today will be your ASSET tests." What? What is Mrs. Lawrence doing in our class?! "This could be the most important test you ever take kiddies, so make sure you try your very best."

She's the preschool lunch lady...what is going on here? "Mrs. Lawrence? Where is Mr. Smith?"

"Oh, some conglomerate meeting something or other. Not to worry, Mrs. Lawrence is here to assist you through your ASSET."

Suddenly, from the back of the room. "Mrs. Lawrence? Do we have to take this dumb test?" Ahhh, Mr. Clark Berkau, troublemaker and all around twit.

"Well, Clarence Barkley Berkau, why don't I just rig the test for you so you end up where you want?" Wait, she can do that?

"You...can do that? That would be awesome Mrs. Lawr..." Mrs. Lawrence shakes her head and starts to laugh. "Oh, no child! I could get myself reprimanded, not to mention lose my subbing job on week-days to spend time with my favorite kiddies."

"Oh, okay...dumb test." Seriously? favorite kiddies? Just...Blehhh.

"And let the magic...Begin!" And all this before she handed out the flippin' test. sheesh.

* * *

Audio File #3

Hello children, this is your introduction session to your ASSET test. As you know, this test will define your future. Answer wisely, and you will be pleased with your results. Take the test lightly, and you will be trapped by your own insolence. Prepare for the test, or prepare for the rest of your life.

(Satisfaction is Not Guaranteed, results may vary)

Sincerely,  
Conglomerate Board of Education

* * *

The results took a few hours to run through the system, Barney got his before me. He refuses to talk to me about it though. Just then, a Conglomerate Enforcer enters the cafeteria.

"Miles, Casey?" His weasley voice dictated. I quickly ran and grabbed my results from him. However, the stupid envelope refused to open.

"Darn Wonderglue, why don't they just use tape?"

"Here kid, this will do it." He slides a switchblade out of his pocket and slashes one end of the envelope. The results fall onto the table.

"Vault Journalist?! What's the point of that? Everyone knows what goes on around here." He just walked away. Doesn't even answer my question, the jackass.

The whole sheet just lists basic stats I got on the test and why they put me in said position. Wait, thats different. A personal paragraph from the CBOE, why's that there?

0_ _0

Dear Casey,

I have learned through my years of service for the conglomerate, that information needs to be shared. Your test questions pointed to the gathering and service of information. You are to separate yourself from your school classes at 8:00 and meet me on weekdays for special sessions to learn what a Journalist does. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY: a journalist knows what information keep a SECRET.

Sincerely,

Dorian Whaler

CBOE vice-president

...keep a secret, what? The message? It can't be! I've only told my family, This is looking very very bad...

0_ _0

"Barney, I need to talk to you."

"W-what do you want?" That greeting was a little unexpected.

"I have a special meeting with the VC of the Board of Education tomorrow. I was hoping you might know something about him, being your Mom is on the Board and all." Well, not really, she's the scribe. She would know a lot about his personality though.

"You...want me to ask my Mom about VC Dorian? Why?"

"Because he knows about the...uhh, something very important to me. If he has the means of discovering what it is, he has the means to stop me." I really hope I can trust him on this...

"What are you talking about?!"

"I...overheard a message coming from outside the vault."

"Bullshit!"

"No its not, I'm telling-"

"Complete and utter Bullshit! You can't expect me to believe you, a person who hates the vault as much as his 'All-Powerful Overseer Father!' I can see you making that insane excuse just to try and leave. You don't even know if the vault door even opens back up!"

"Of course it does, otherwise it wouldn't be called a-"

"It was a rhetorical question you psychopath! I know I'm your friend, but keep that crap out of your head. Then come talk to me."Wow, he was no help at all, and acting weirder than normal.

7:46, might as well get there early.

The walk down to the Conglomerate offices is a lonely one. Am I the only one getting called down here? Of course I am...

"Room 42: VC of CBOE, Dorian Whaler" is posted on the door in white, orderly letters. The letters disappear as the door slides into the ceiling. The only thing that remains in front of me is a humble desk with a wooden stand with the man standing before me's name on it.

"Hello Mr. Miles, how was your sleep?" Huhh?

"Uhh...Fine, Sir."

"Please, Call me Dorian."

"Uh, ok Dorian. Why did you call-"

"Would you like some coffee?" What is it with people interrupting me today?!

"No, I would not like coffee, now why did you separate me from the rest of my classmates?!"

"For special learning sessions about what your future job will be." Oh, sure. There has to be a better reason than that.

"Really, I did do some research. Journalists were old world storytellers, they would write articles and other things about current events. It's not that hard to comprehend." Suck on that apple, Mr. High-n-Mighty.

"Clever boy, there is more to your job however. You are not only the recorder, you are a filter, an editor of the old world. You don't just share information, you decide what people around you know, and don't."

"What are you saying?!"

"Somethings don't need to be shared with anyone...The message you heard is possible proof that there may be something outside. The Conglomerate refuses to acknowledge the sensors that state the outside is habitable, and your father is the Overseer. He has the code, If you can get it, I can help you. And I know, this is an offer you can't refuse."

Shit, wasn't this my plan already? This makes things a ton easier. "So if I get the code, you will help convince the Conglomerate?"

"Was I not clear, yes, I will help you. Sit, we have much to discuss."

* * *

PIPBOY Notifications online: Level up

Current level: 2

Perk acquired: The Inquisition: You are prepared for your new job as the Vault Journalist, you have mastered the art of questioning others (IN +2 and unique dialogue options with certain characters).


End file.
